Digital Agency Founder, A Rocky Start, Networking Pre-LinkedIn
This week I spoke with Brian Williams, 1997 UVA grad who’s now the Co-Founder & CEO at Viget.
The Rundown:
COLD OPEN: Studio art minor → web designer → founder working with brands like ESPN
TURNING POINT: The dot-com bust and persuading clients
STEAL THIS: How big is your staff, and why?
INDUSTRY INSIDER: Should you sell services or products?
IF I WERE YOU: Don’t always ask for favors. Let that stuff happen organically
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COLD OPEN
How Did You Get Your Start?
I got my start at UVA, where I studied engineering and did a studio art minor. In the mid 90s the web was just coming out, so it was a good intersection of those two interests.
I built a couple of websites for local retailers on the Corner and then got an opportunity to build the software that powered the Corner meal plan. This was a time when I was barely passing my Computer Science classes, but I enjoyed hacking stuff together.
After graduating from UVA, I got a job in Northern Virginia as a web developer. In less than two years that company got acquired which sparked the timing to start my company Viget in 1999 with my brother.
The simplest description of Viget is that we're a digital agency that does both large-scale web redesign projects as well as big digital software products. We work with big brands like ESPN, and also a lot of startups that you've never heard of that go on to be acquired by some of those bigger organizations.
TURNING POINT
What’s A Challenge You Faced Early On?
Starting the business when I was 24, I had such little experience; everything was a challenge. We were really unsuccessful for the first several years. Within a year we hit the dot-com bust and all of a sudden we had to learn how to sell, find new clients, and persuade people to hire us.
I went from feeling optimistic about this exciting new business to literally making no money. I wasn’t taking a paycheck – we were squeezing every dollar into paying the small team we assembled as well as office rent. I was trying to figure out how to run a real business without having studied it.
Additionally, I didn't have a strong network of mentors. There was no Linkedin, Facebook, or Twitter to contact people. I had to figure out all these things with my brother and our early team.
STEAL THIS
What’s A Question You Love To Be Asked (Or Asking)?
I love asking other CEOs “How big is your staff, and why?” Some people don't like the question because they find it a bit headcount-obsessed, but that’s not where I’m coming from. I think you can get a sense of what they value, what they prioritize, and where they're successful with their team or themselves.
You can also sometimes get into interesting business discussions about what's keeping them from getting bigger.
When I'm interviewing people for jobs, particularly younger people, I like to ask “How did you use AI to prepare for this interview?”. I'm always curious to hear different things; half the time I learn something new from the answer.
BIG FISH, SMALL FISH
How Does Working With Startups Differ From Larger Companies
It's pretty different.
A lot of startups are funded by friends or family, which is a very stressful situation to be in. There’s more trust in spending that money wisely.
They often don’t have a lot of capital, so they’re careful in how they use it.
The larger, more established companies have plenty of money. They can be very selective about how they spend it and they don't face the same level of financial stress as startups. You’ll hear them say, “We've got the budget for this, but don't want to risk our reputation,”, while early companies are more willing to take risks or pivot.
INDUSTRY INSIDER
What Do People Misunderstand About Service Companies?
There’s a difference between companies that provide services versus products.
If you're starting a business and have an idea for a product, typically you’ll spend a lot before you make significant profit. If you can do that over the long haul, you’ll make your money back and then some.
On the other hand, most services companies are pretty constrained about long-term profit potential. You're typically selling a time increment for consulting services or whatever it is you're delivering.
That time increment has heavy expenses. Our staff’s salary and benefits are ~90% of our costs. You can still run a healthy long-term business, but it's not gonna be as profitable.
IF I WERE YOU
Do You Have Any Advice For Students?
Authentic networking is key – through introductions with an actual curiosity about a person's background, experience, and their advice.
Stay in touch by sharing something that you achieved or something you did that you thought was cool. Once or twice a year with some of your contacts can go a long way.
Don’t always ask for favors. Let that stuff happen organically. To me, the aggressive, overly salesy, pushy business thing is such a turnoff.